"What
Moby-Dick
is to whales,
Brilliant Beacons
is to lighthouses—a transformative account of a familiar yet mystical subject." —Laurence Bergreen, author of
Columbus: The Four Voyages
In this "magnificent compendium" (
New Republic
), best-selling author Eric Jay Dolin presents the definitive history of American lighthouses, and in so doing "illuminate[s] the history of America itself" (
Entertainment Weekly
). Treating readers to a memorable cast of characters and "fascinating anecdotes" (
New York Review of Books
), Dolin shows how the story of the nation, from a regional backwater colony to global industrial power, can be illustrated through its lighthouses—from New England to the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes, the Pacific Coast, and all the way to Alaska and Hawaii.
A
Captain and Classic Boat
Best Nautical Book of 2016